Air vent for plastic cover



1967 P. RAPISARDA ENT FOR PLASTIC COVER AIR V Filed Sept. 6, 1966 FIG.3

FIGS

Rapisarda ATTO RNE Y5 United States Patent M 3,351,963 AIR VENT FOR PLASTIC COVER Paul Rapisarda, 4412 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11219 Filed Sept. 6, 1966, Ser. No. 577,255 2 Claims. (Cl. 5-347) ABSTRACT on THE DISLOSURE An article comprising a strip of flexible plastic material having a row of apertures in the strip. A grommet having a raised wall defining a through bore and a radially extending flange is provided for each aperture. The diameter of the through bore is smaller than the diameter of the associated aperture so that when the grommet is positioned in the associated aperture the wall of the grommet extends radially inwardly from the walls defining the aperture. A heat seal is provided between the strip and the radially extending flange to maintain the grommets in place thereby to provide a continuous strip of flexible material which may be utilized to provide reinforced air vents in furniture covers and the like.

The invention further contemplates a plastic furniture cover or the like having a rear panel of the type described above.

This invention relates generally to protective covers for fabric covered furniture such as sofas, chairs and the like and seat cushions therefor and, more particularly, pertains to a method and apparatus for providing reinforced air vents in such covers.

Different types of covers have been used in the past to protect fabric covered articles of furniture such as sofas or chairs, for example, and seat cushions or pillows for such articles from dust, dirt, grime and the like. For example, one type of furniture cover was fabricated from a woven fabric which was sized to enclose the particular article which was to be protected. Under normal circumstances, these so-called slip covers were fabricated from a material which was far less expensive than the fabric which covered the article of furniture. As a result, the beauty of the article was masked or otherwise hidden from view by the covers. Moreover, these slip covers were porous and easily allowed spilled liquids to pass therethrough to stain and/or otherwise mar or destroy the more expensive fabric which covered and formed a portion of the furniture.

In view of the foregoing limitations of woven fabrictype furniture covers, covers made from plastic materials are being used extensively at present. Since these plastic covers are nonporous, they protect the fabric material from spilled liquids in addition to affording protection against dust and dirt. Additionally, these covers are usually made transparent so that the natural beauty of the fabric covering the article of furniture may be observed and admired.

When these plastic covers are utilized to cover pillows or cushions, they usually completely encompass the same. Thus, air vents must be provided in the cover due to its non-porosity. More specifically, when a person sits on a cushion, the cushion is compressed and the air within the cushion is expelled. If no means for the escape of this air were provided, the pressure of the air within the cover would increase until the cover burst, thereby ruining the cover. Hence, the use of air vents in plastic or non-porous furniture covers is a necessity.

Presently, the air vents in plastic furniture covers of the type described hereinabove usually comprise a row of 3,351,963 Patented Nov. 14, 1967 Metal washers are connected to the walls defining the holes to reinforce the plastic cover in the vicinity of the holes to prevent the material from tearing or ripping. However, this arrangement presents many difliculties both in the application of the washers to the cover and in the continued use of the cover.

More particularly, the metal washers are substantially rigid whereas the plastic material comprising the cover is relatively flexible. If the material in the vicinity of the washer is flexed, the washer tears away from the plastic material thereby weakening the cover. Continued use of the cover thereafter usually extends the tear line until the cover finally is ruined. Moreover, since the washer is a rigid planar element, the washer cannot be located at the corner of a cover since the cover extends in mutually perpendicular planes at a junction. As a result, washers can be applied only after a cover has been produced. Since most covers, particularly those covers used on elongated sofa seat cushions are large and unwieldy, this procedure becomes extremely time-consuming and difficult thereby rendering this method of providing the air vents in plastic covers extremely uneconomical.

Accordingly, the desideratum of the present invention is to furnish an apparatus for providing reinforced air vents in plastic furniture covers wherein the reinforcing means is flexible and does not tear or pop out when the plastic cover is flexed.

Another object of the present invention is to furnish a method for providing reinforced air vents in plastic covers which is quick and simple to perform.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method of the type described in which the reinforced air vents are provided in a pre-formed strip which is incorporated into the finished cover thereby eliminating the necessity to handle finished covers, which may be large and cumbersome, to provide air vents in the same.

In furtherance of the above objects, the apparatus of the present invention includes a continuous strip of flexible plastic material. Provided in the strip are a row of apertures; each aperture is spaced from the next adjacent aperture by a preselected distance. Respective grommets are connected with the strip to reinforce the areas of the strip which define the respective apertures.

Each grommet is fabricated from a flexible material. The grommets each include a circular wall having a through bore which communicates with a respective aperture and a radially extending flange. The flange portion of each grommet is heat sealed to the strip to maintain the grommet in place.

The strip if coiled into a roll and discrete sections are severed from the roll in accordance with the length of the panel which is required for a particular cover. This severed section is then incorporated into the finished cover as the rear panel thereof. Hence, the need to handle the entire cover to provide air vents therein and the disadvantages associated with such a procedure are eliminated. Moreover, since the grommet per se is flexible, the grommet will not tear away from the strip even if the grommet is located at the corner of the finished cover.

A feature of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method "for providing air vents in furniture covers which includes a flexible grommet for reinforcing the portion.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a strip of material constructed according to the present invention, illustrating holes which are provided in therearpanel of the cover. the provision of reinforced air vents therein;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view to an enlarged scale, taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a grommet of the type shown in the strip of FIG. 1, to an enlarged scale;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view, partially in diagrammatic form, illustrating the application of a grommet to a continuous roll of material to provide the strip of material shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a seat cushion cover utilizing the strip of material shown in FIG. 1 as the rear panel thereof; and

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the cover illustrated in FIG. 6', taken along the line 7--7 thereof.

The apparatus and method of the present invention is disclosed in conjunction with the fabrication of a cover having reinforced air vents therein for a seat cushion of the type forming a portion of a sofa and the like. However, it is to be understood that this illustration is by way of example only and it is not to be interpreted as being a limitation on the present invention.

The present invention contemplates the use of a preformed roll of flexible material having a plurality of reinforced air vents therein. When it is desired to fabricate a non-porous cover for an article of furniture such as a seat cushion, a strip of material is severed from the roll. The strip of material then may be utilized as the rear panel of the cover by connecting the same to the other panels forming the cover in the conventional manner. Hence, the need for providing air vents in a finished cover thereby is completely eliminated. This results in a great saving in time required to produce a cover since the need to handle large and unwieldy covers is eliminated. Additionally, the use of a performed roll having reinforced air vents therein results in a great monetary savings to the manufacture since all the fabricator need do is sew the panel to the remainder of the panels fonming the cover. Additionally, the elements reinforcing the air vents are flexible. Accordingly, the danger of these elements popping out or tearing the plastic material when the cover is flexed as when it is placed on a cushion similarly is eliminated. Moreover, in the present invention the air vent may be located at the corner of a cover since the inherent flexibility of both the panel and the reinforced air vent allow the air vent to conform to the shape of the cover without popping or tearing away from the cover.

More specifically, FIG. 1 illustrates a strip of material, designated generally by the reference numeral 10, which is constructed in accordance with the present invention. The strip of material 10 comprises a portion only of an identically constructed roll of material (not shown) from which the strip 10 has been severed. Thus, although the present invention contemplates the fabrication of a roll of material of the type to be described, only a portion thereof (i.e., the strip 10) is shown for purposes of illustration and explanation.

The strip 10 is flexible and, in practice, it may be fabricated from a vinyl plastic, the thickness of which may lie between six gauge and twenty gauge (i.e., 0.006-0r020 inch). Moreover, the strip of material 10 normally is transparent; however, for certain applications a colored strip of material may be used to provide a colored furniture cover.

Approximately centrally located in the strip 10 is a plurality of longitudinally spaced through bores or apertures 12 which provide a row of air vents for a finished furniture cover in the manner noted below. Each aperture is spaced from the next adjacent aperture 12 by a preselected distance. For example, the centers of the apertures 12 may be spaced from each other by 6 /2 inches. It is to be understood that the apertures 12 are provided throughout the length of the roll from which the strip of material 10 has been severed.

As noted above and, as described in greater detail below, the apertures 12 form the air vents in the finished cushion cover. However, because of the inherent weakness of the material forming the strip 10, the walls which define the apertures 12 are subject to tearing or ripping. This tear easily may extend from an aperture 12 to the edge of the strip 10 thereby ruining the cover. In order to prevent such tears from developing the strip 10- is reinforced in the area surrounding each aperture 12. In the past metal washers were used to provide such reinforcements. However, it was found that the washers tore the plastic cover when the cover was flexed or folded thereby rendering the cover unfit for its intended use.

In accordance with the present invention, a grommet, designated generally by the reference numeral 14, is provided for each aperture 12. The respective grommets 14 reinforce the aperture 12 to prevent ripping or tearing of the strip 10 in the vicinity of the apertures.

In particular, the grommets 14 are shown in detail in FIGS. 3 and 4 and comprise a circular wall 16 having a central through bore 18. A radially extending peripheral flange 20 is provided on the outer surface of the circular wall 16 and it is utilized as a means for connecting the grommet 14 with the strip 10, as noted in detail hereinbelow. As shown in FIG. 4, the circular wall 16 extends above and below the flange 20. To put this another way, the flange 20' is approximately centrally located on the wall 16.

In practice, the grommets 14 are fabricated from a flexible and resilient material such as vinyl plastic. In other words, the grommets 14 may be fabricated from the same type of material as the strip 10. Thus, the grommets 14 easily may be flexed and, therefore, they are to be distinguished from the metal washers of the prior art which were substantially rigid and could not be flexed or bent.

Each grommet 14 is positioned on the strip 10 so that the bore 18 thereof is aligned with and communicates with a respective aperture 12. In other words, the bore 18 of each grommet 14 is coaxial with a respective aperture 12. The flanges 20 of the grommets 14 abut the undersurface of the strip 10 in the vicinity of the respective apertures 12 and are heat sealed thereto to maintain the grommets in place.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the diameter of the bore 18 is smaller than the diameter of the apertures 12. However, the outer diameter of the circular wall 16 is larger than the diameter of the apertures 12. Accordingly, when a grommet 14 is heat sealed to the strip 10, a portion of the strip 10 overlies the circular wall 16 and conforms to the shape thereof. Thus, the grommet 14 essentially provides an increase in the thickness of the material surrounding each one of the apertures 12 thereby to strengthen the strip 10 in this area and to substantially eliminate tearing of the material defining and surrounding the apertures 12. To put this another way, the relatively thick circular walls 16 extend inwardly beyond the edge of the walls defining the apertures 12. Accordingly, in order for a tear to develop, the circular wall 16 of the grommet 14 associated with that aperture first must tear or rip. However, this occurrence is highly unlikely in view of the fact that the circular wall 16 is relatively strong and easily can withstand normal use. Hence, the grommets 14 substantially reinforce the material surrounding the aperture 12 thereby to provide reinforced air vents in the strip of material 10.

As noted above, the grommets 14 are fabricated from a flexible material. Consequently, the grommets 14 easily bend and conform to the strip of material 10 as the strip of material is flexed and/or folded and do not tear away from the strip per se as did the washers of the prior art. Hence, a continuous strip of material having reinforced air vents may be provided in the form of a pre-formed roll of material from which discrete strips of material may be severed to provide a panel for a furniture cover which already includes air vents therein.

In practice, the grommets 14 may be affixed to the strip of material by utilizing a heat sealing apparatus of the type shown in FIG. 5 and designated generally by the reference numeral 22. The heat sealing apparatus 22 includes a movable upper electrode 24 and a stationary lower electrode 26. Approximately centrally located on the upper electrode 24 is depending circular member 30 which is provided with a peripheral cutting edge. A recess 32 is provided in the lower electrode 26. The recess 32 is coaxial with the member 30. Moreover, the recess 32 is sized to receive the lower portion of the circular wall 16 of a grommet 14 so that the flange 20 of the grommet rests on the upper surface of the electrode 26. A roll 11 of flexible material such as vinyl plastic is rotatably mounted adjacent to the electrodes 24 and 26 by appropriate means (not shown). The strip 10 of the roll 11 is positioned between the electrodes of the apparatus 22 so that the axis of the member 30 is approximately midway between the longitudinal edges of the strip.

In operation, the upper electrode 24 is moved downwardly relative to the lower electrode 26 until the member 30 engages the strip 10. Further downward movement of the electrode 24 causes the strip 10 to similarly move downwardly until it abuts the upper surface of the grommet 14. As the electrode 24 continues its downward travel, the peripheral cutting edge of the member 30 pierces the strip 10 to form an aperture 12. At the lowermost point in its path of travel, the electrode 24 will be positioned so that the grommet 14 and the strip 10 will be clamped between the electrodes 24 and 26.

At this point, radio frequency energy is applied to the electrodes to fuse the flange 20' of the grommet 14 and the strip 19 together. Moreover, this heat treatment causes the strip of material 10 to flow momentarily between the two electrodes 24 and 26 thereby to cause the strip 10 to conform to the shape of the circular wall 16, as shown in FIG. 2.

After one grommet 14 has been heat sealed to the strip 10,- the upper electrode 24 is moved away from the lower electrode 26 and the strip 10 is advanced a preselected distance in the direction indicated by the arrowhead 28. Another grommet 14 is received in the recess 32 and the above-described procedure is repeated to seal another grommet to the strip 10. As the grommets are connected with the strip 10, the strip is formed into a roll to provide a roll of material of the type noted hereinabove with reinforced air vents received therein. Thus, the apparatus 22 provides a means for simultaneously providing the apertures in the strip 10 and for heat sealing the grommets thereto.

It should be noted that the strip 10 may be provided in a plurality of different widths in accordance with the desires of the user. Thus, a relatively wide strip of material would be used in a cover for a high cushion whereas a strip of material having a small width would be used in a cover for a low cushion.

To fabricate a cover utilizing apparatus constructed according to the present invention, the measurements of the pillow or cushion are taken in the conventional manner and, with the exception of the rear panel of the cover, a piece of vinyl plastic stock of the appropriate gauge is cut to provide a transparent cushion cover such as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 and designated generally by the reference numeral 34. The cover 34 includes a top panel 36, a bottom panel 38, opposed side panels 40 and 42, and a front panel (not shown). These panels are sewn together along their respective adjoining edges in the conventional mannor to provide the cover 34. Alternatively, the panels 40, 42 and the front panel may be formed from a single continuous strip of material which is sewn to the top panel 36 and the bottom panel 38 along the side and front edges of these panels.

A strip of material 10 is cut from the roll of material (not shown) having the reinforced air vents therein and forms the rear panel of the cover 34. In other words, a length of material 44 having the spaced air vents or apertures 12 reinforced by the respective grommets 14, corresponding to the required dimension of the rear panel of the cover 34, is severed from the preformed roll of material. The strip 44 is then sewn along the side edges and the upper edge to the respective panels 42, 36 and 40 of the cover 34, as indicated by the seam line 46. The bottom edge of the panel 44 is sewn to one portion of a releasable connecting means such as a zipper 48; the other portion of the zipper 48 is sewn to the bottom panel 38.

As shown in FIG. 6, the zipper 48 extends along the length of the rear panel 44. Thus, a pillow P may easily be inserted into the cover 34 simply by opening the zipper 48 to separate the rear panel 44 from the bottom panel 38. If the pillow P is fabricated from foam rubber, the pillow may be folded or otherwise contracted to slide the pillow into the cover 34. The pillow is then released to allow it to expand to its full size. Thereafter, the zipper 48 is closed to securely encompass the pillow P within the cover 34 thereby to protect the pillow P from dirt, dust or spilled liquids and the like.

In those applications where a spring-type cushion is to be covered, the zipper 48 may extend about the rear panel 44 and into a portion of the side panels 42 and 40 to provide an oversized opening for the insertion and removal of the pillow P since these types of cushions usually cannot be folded or otherwise contracted. Accordingly, the rear panel 44 may be made to extend along a portion of the sides of the cover 34 so that the end portions of the strip forming the rear panel 44 similarly forms the rear portion of the side panel 40 and 42. It is emphasized that in the present invention the strip of material which is cut from the pre-formed roll to provide the air vents in the cover 34 easily may extend about the corner of the cover. In other words, the grommets 14 which are flexible will bend about the corner of the cover and conform to the shape of the cover. This is to be distinguished from covers of the prior art which are made with metal washers and which are limited in their use since the washers cannot extend about the corners of the cover. Thus, the washers only could be connected to the cover after the cover was completely formed.

Accordingly, an apparatus and method has been disclosed for providing reinforced air vents in furniture covers which is simple in construction and which saves a great deal of time in the fabrication of such covers.

While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described herein it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many omissions, changes and additions may be made in such embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An article for providing reinforced air vents in plastic covers and the like comprising a continuous strip of flexible plastic material having a predetermined Width, an approximately centrally located row of apertures in said strip, each one of said apertures being spaced from the next adjacent aperture by a preselected distance, and a respective reinforcing means surrounding each one of said apertures for strengthening the edges of said strip which defines said row of apertures, said reinforcing means comprising a grommet for each of said apertures fabricated from a flexible and resilient plastic material, each of said grommets having a raised circular wall defining a through bore which communicates with the respective apertures, the diameter of said through bores being smaller than the diameters of the respective apertures whereby said circular walls extend radially inwardly beyond the edge of the walls defining said apertures to reinforce the same, a radially extending flange on each of said grommets, and a heat seal between each of said 4 flanges and one surface of said continuous strip of material.

2. A plastic furniture cover having a plurality of reinforced air vents therein to provide passages for the flow of air through said cover comprising a top panel, a bottom panel, a front panel, opposed side panels, and a rear panel, said rear panel being fabricated from a plastic material, said top, bottom, front and opposed side panels being connected together along their adjoining edges; means for fixedly connecting at least one edge of said rear panel to the adjoining edge of at least one out of said top, bottom, front and opposed side panels; releasable connecting means for releasably connecting the edge of said rear panel opposite said one edge to the adjoining edge of the juxtaposed panel; a plurality of spaced apertures in said rear panel; a respective reinforcing means surrounding each of said plurality of apertures for strengthening the edges of said rear panel which defines said plurality of apertures; each of said reinforcing means comprising a grommet having a raised circular wall of flexible plastic material defining a through bore which communicates with the associated aperture, the diameter of said through bore being smaller than the diameter of said aperture whereby said circular wall extends radially inwardly beyond the edge of the wall defining said aperture to reinforce the same, a radially extending flange on said grommet, and a heat seal between said radially extending flange and said rear panel to connect said grommet with said rear panel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 446,270 2/1891 Spitz 2-266 563,225 6/1896 Forsberg 3-347 836,326 11/1906 Kinyon 5-345 2,115,122 4/1938 Prudden 297-453 2,565,753 8/ 1951 Botwinick 156-514 X 2,700,766 2/ 1955 Rosenberg. 2,837,805 6/1958 Larkin 2-266 3,222,694 12/1965 Schick 297-219 X FOREIGN PATENTS 765,800 1/ 1957 Great Britain.

BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

ANDREW CALVERT, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ARTICLE FOR PROVIDING REINFORCED AIR VENTS IN PLASTIC COVERS AND THE LIKE COMPRISING A CONTINUOUS STRIP OF FLEXIBLE PLASTIC MATERIAL HAVING A PREDETERMINED WIDTH, AN APPROXIMATELY CENTRALLY LOCATED ROW OF APERTURES IN SAID STRIP, EACH ONE OF SAID APERTURES BEING SPACED FROM THE NEXT ADJACENT APERTURE BY A PRESELECTED DISTANCE, AND A RESPECTIVE REINFORCING MEANS SURROUNDING EACH ONE OF SAID APERTURES FOR STRENGTHENING THE EDGES OF SAID STRIP WHICH DEFINES SAID ROW OF APERTURES, SAID REINFORCING MEANS COMPRISING A GROMMET FOR EACH OF SAID APERTURES FABRICATED FROM A FLEXIBLE AND RESILIENT PLASTIC MATERIAL, EACH OF SAID GROMMETS HAVING A RAISED CIRCULAR WALL DEFINING A THROUGH BORE WHICH COMMUNICATES WITH THE RESPECTIVE APERTURES, THE DAIMETER OF SAID THROUGH BORES BEING SMALLER THE THE DIAMETERS OF THE RESPECTIVE APERTURES WHEREBY SAID CIRCULAR WALLS EXTEND RADIALLY INWARDLY BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE WALLS DEFINING SAID APERTURES TO REINFORCE THE SAME, A RADIALLY EXTENDING FLANGE ON EACH OF SAID GROMMETS, AND A HEAT SEAL BETWEEN EACH OF SAID FLANGES AND ONE SURFACE OF SAID CONTINUOUS STRIP OF MATERIAL. 